Post navigation

Best Wrestling Diet for Weight Loss and Maximum Performance

What is the best wrestling diet for weight loss? A lot of wrestlers will lose weight to get down to a lower weight class.

I would like to talk about a proper way to lose weight for wrestling. This article is not about starving yourself , dehydrating yourself, or what age to cut weight. Crash diets will only make wrestlers weak when it comes time to compete.

Wresting nutrition is an important part of a wrestlers diet plan. If you will follow a good weight loss plan, you will be the best wrestler possible and still keep all of your strength.

Start Wrestling Diet Early for Best Results

Start your wrestling weight loss plan early. Don’t wait till a week before its time to compete or rank for a match. A gradual weight loss is the best wrestlers diet.

A lot of wrestlers will wait to lose weight. You are hurting yourself and not achieving your full potential. This only leads to you being an average wrestler. Make healthy eating needs to be part of your goals.

If you are going to lose weight for wrestling, you need to start eating right at least a month in advance. Develop your weight loss plan early so you don’t have to starve yourself. This will allow you to lose a small amount of weight each week.

Proper Nutrition is Important

Getting the right calories is an important part of a good wrestlingdiet. Stay away from calorie dense foods, such as pancakes and french fries.

Wrestlers need to Drink Lots of Water to Lose Weight

A lot of wrestlers learn that the best way to lose weight is to sweat it off. This is the WRONG way!

You need water to support your metabolism and keep your body healthy. I recommend that you drink more water than normal. This will help you feel full, stay healthy and your body will burn more calories from the extra water.

If you need to lose some water weight, you can restrict your water intake 24 hours before an event to make weight. Did you notice I didn’t say stop drinking water completely? You still need water for your body to work properly.

I suggest a couple of ounces of water every three hours. You should only restrict water to drop less than two pounds.

Wrestling Weight Loss does not Include Soda Pop

Soda pop is not part of a wrestlers diet. The calories in a soda are empty calories. I have seen wrestlers that did nothing different, but stopped drinking pop and they would lose five pounds in a week. Seriously wrestlers stay away from the soda and juice!

Focus on the Right Nutrients in Proper Proportions

Here is where your wrestling diet should focus on the right nutrients and proportions. You need to eat the right things to promote energy and efficient weight loss.

A wrestler should focus on consuming super foods. Super foods are nutrient dense foods that promote a healthy metabolism and have anti-oxidant properties. Here is a typical list of foods my son and I will eat to lose weight.

Reduce Calorie Intake to Proper Level

Reducing your calorie intake is important to a wrestlers diet plan. Your body requires a the right calories to drop weight and keep your strength. If you cut your calorie intake too much, your body will go into starvation mode and your metabolism will actually slow down and you will stop losing weight.

The trick is to cut your calorie intake enough so that your body will use your fat reserves and keep your metabolism firing at top capacity. I recommend that you only drop your calorie intake to 80% of your daily requirements.

For example if you need 2,000 calories a day, then your reduced calorie intake is around 1,600 calories.

If you want an idea on what your calorie requirements are, you can see them here.

Monitor Food Intake or Workout More?

In my opinion, it is better to watch your food intake. There are 3,600 calories in a pound.

Do you realize how hard it is to burn 3,600 calories? Let me give you an example: If you run 5 miles, you will burn about 1,000 fat calories. You are already practicing five days a week. Don’t make things harder on yourself, by consuming more than you need.

Keep Your Eye on the Prize

A good weight loss plan is a long-term plan. You should focus on eating right and changing your lifestyle.

I know you want that big T-bone steak or that greasy burger and fries. Keep your eyes focused on the prize. That prize is having the best wrestling season possible.